A Life Given
by Lynn Osburn
Summary: CHAPTER 5 UP  Mozenrath and Aladdin work together to save a little girl. RR
1. A Life Given

A Life Given  
  
By: Lynn Osburn  
  
(DISCLAMER:I would like to give full credit of this idea to Mighty Aphrodite from the Mozenrath Message Board. SHE HAS GIVEN ME PERMISSION TO DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! Mighty, you rule chica. Hope you have tons of luck with your other stories. I would like to remind people of this quote."Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." BTW, you can find a list of different demon at )  
  
Mozenrath snorted at the small child he had just bumped into. "Why don't you watch where your headed street brat." He yelled, shaking a threatening fist at him. He was in no mood for delays, not with the Council of Sorcery expecting him in a few hours. They'd been trying to track him down for over three months now and were very displeased with his avoidance of them.  
  
~Bunch of old fossils. Ever since I took down Destain they've been wondering if I was legitimately qualified as a sorcerer. Now with Aladdin having defeated me at every turn they have a good reason to call me in for testing.~ He growled in a low voice and pushed the child out of his way.  
  
"Stupid street rats." He murmured and continued walking towards the Sorcery Headquarters in Getzestan. Just as he was turning the corner, he heard the scream.  
  
Mozenrath spun around just in time to avoid a man riding like a bat from hell down the road on a huge Arabian stallion. He had to dodge off the road to avoid him, landing in a muddy ditch and letting out a howl of disgust. "You ignorant basterd!" he hollered out as the man laughed and continued down the road. "Mozenrath ignited his gauntlet and prepared to fire at him. At the exact same moment, he saw the small boy he had bumped into trip over a rock in the middle of the road.  
  
If he had stopped to think, he wouldn't have done it. If he had just taken the split second he always had to make sure he didn't look foolish, he would have ignored the boy and incinerated the man before he even reached the child.  
  
But he didn't.  
  
Next thing he knew he was looking straight up into a mob of people surrounding him.One of them included the small boy he'd just saved. "You clutzy whelp! Why don't you start watching before you cross the road and you won't.hey.pay attention you.!" Mozenrath sat up towards the child and suddenly he was nowhere to be found. "Wha.?" He stood up fully, in surprisingly little pain considering he'd just collided with a horse.  
  
"Boy? Where are.you." He turned around to see the child and the group still staring down at something. " Mozenrath sighed and reached up to clean his cap, only to discover there was no dirt anywhere on it. ~Strange, first I fell in the mud then I knocked that boy out of the horses way."  
  
That's when it hit him.  
  
~Out of the horses way!~  
  
Hands shaking uncontrollably, Mozenrath looked over the group of people and onto the ground bellow.  
  
Down at his mangled, dead body.  
  
He threw himself away from the crowd. "No. No! This isn't possible!" He yelled and triend to push the others aside. His hands went through their bodies as water through a sieve. "No! Damn it no! Get away from that body!" he yelled at two city officials cleaning his frame up off the road. "Get your hands off my body!" he yelled out and charged after them coming face to hoof-beaten, bloody face with himself.  
  
Mozenrath gasped in horror and felt nauseated. Surprising now that he no longer had a stomach. He watched at the boy he'd saved ran over to a woman, clutching her skirts and pointing to where he was being carried. "He saved me momma! He pushed me outta the way 'afor that big horse clobbered me!"  
  
"Then he must have been a very kind man indeed. To give his life for another." The woman whispered and took a flower from a nearby vendor. Mozenrath watched as she walked ford to his body and wrapped the rose between his fingers. "Thank you man, for saving my only son. My Allah bless you in Paradise."  
  
"Hah! Fat chance of that!"  
  
Mozenrath turned and looked at a small, unimpressive man smiling.no.leering at him. "Well I am amazed! Of all the people to save that little boys life I certainly wouldn't have picked you." He chuckled and back flipped with a single hand to where Mozenrath stood. "Still, I have to give credit where credit's due, sliding in the middle of the road just when the horse's hooves nearly crushed the child's skull like an over ripe melon." The man gave a loud, dry laugh as two rusty red horns grew from his temples. "You would have made Aladdin clap."  
  
"Who.who are you?" Mozenrath said, preparing himself for the worst. He didn't really have to ask WHAT the man was, he knew well enough he'd been no angel in life. But he did want a name.  
  
"I have many names. From Abgior to Zepar. But I suppose my most well known are Lucifer, Beezelbub, Mephostopholise, and of course, Satan."  
  
Mozenrath straightened himself up, his composure coming back quick as a cat. "The great Lord of the Damned himself comes for my soul. Should I be honored?" he quipped.  
  
"You should yes." Lucifer smiled in an almost gentle fashion. "I only come for the most exceptional cases, and you my young Mozenrath are it." He held out his hand, a smooth, perfectly manicured hand. "Please, come with me, I'm sure we have much to discuss."  
  
"No! Mozenrath don't!" Came a loud, commanding voice, followed with a majestic white light and harp music more beautiful than any on earth.  
  
Lucifer growled, his eyes turning a soft red. "Trust on an Archeangel to make an entrance."  
  
"And trust an ex-angel to screw up Corpse Rights." This man was so vastly different from the other he practically transcended Lucifer. He was garbed in a beautiful white robe that gave his legs room to run. He had an ethereal glow around his near perfect features. In his right hand he carried a spear with a white banner, in his left a green branch that looked to be from a date tree.  
  
"What do you mean Corpse Rights? I know damn well who I'm entitled to when they keel over! As if there could be any doubt with this one." Lucifer smiled and grabbed for Mozenrath's arm.  
  
"Yeah, right." The angel grabbed Mozenrath quicker and pulled him away from the horned man. "Dream on Lucifer. Or perhaps you didn't see the selfless sacrifice this young man gave just on the hour of his death."  
  
"Michael you sneaky son of a."  
  
The Archangel Michael grinned cheekily and shook a finger. "Ahahah! He's watching." He pointed up with the spear.  
  
"Tell Him to kiss my pitchfork! I know He's damn well watching!" Lucifer began to turn red as smoke clouded around his feet. "This is Mozenrath! Murderer of Destain, Conquered of The Black Sands, Dark Sorcerer.He practically screams eternal damnation!"  
  
"Or will if you get your druthers." Michael lifted his spear, turning it into a flaming sword and waving it at Lucifer. "Begon foul demon, or shall smite the once more!"  
  
"Here we go again with the sword bit. Look don't you ever get tired of waving around big pointy weapons at people?" Lucifer growled out, being careful to avoid the swords tip.  
  
"This from the man planning the Holocaust." Michael added you're not getting him Lucifer. He'd died having given his life for another. That's an automatic get outta Hell free card."  
  
Finally, Mozenrath seemed to catch up with the conversation. "Wait.I'm.not going to Hell?" He looked up at Michael, who shook his head. "But.then why did he show up?" He pointed at Lucifer who was fuming at his loss.  
  
"Oh every now and then he tries to grab one of ours before Ariel can get here. He didn't expect for someone like you to have a shot in Hell of being "Saved." Michael laughed and leaned against his sword, wagging a finger a the ultimate incarnation of evil. "But then again you have been a very naughty boy then haven't you?"  
  
Lucifer snarled an lunged at Mozenrath, determined to have him.  
  
Mozenrath didn't even see the angel move, but one moment Lucifer was inches away from him, the next, they were in the clouds. "Wha.?"  
  
"Nifty little trick in't it." Michael chuckled, once again holding a peaceful spear and white banner. "Now then, I believe it's time you and I had a talk." 


	2. Time To Transubstanciate

Time To Transubstantiate  
  
By: Lynn Osburn  
  
)DISCLAMER: I would like to say that although I am comfortably Pagan in my beliefs, I think at the core of every religion is a loving and warm Divinity/One Power/Pantheon. I do not want any reviews trying to talk to me about mixing faiths in a fanfic.)  
  
"Obviously you have figured out your dead." Mozenrath nodded, his mind whirling about, trying to comprehend. "Good, Ariel was afraid I was going to have to explain the whole shebang to you and quite frankly I'm not very good at explanations." Michael smiled.  
  
"I've got the basics down. I saved that boys life, died in doing so, and in the process every little horrible thing I've ever done is erased and I'm going to Paradise." Mozenrath surmised, feeling a little better.  
  
Michael grimaced slightly and scratched the back of his neck. "Umm.not exactly."  
  
Mozenrath frowned. "What do you mean by."not exactly?"  
  
"Michael gritted his teeth and scoffed. "Well let be honest Moze, you aren't exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to humanity. Not that anyone down there is perfect, but your about this close." he held his fingers a few centimeters apart. ".to joining the Fire Brigade in Hell's grand army."  
  
"But I'm not going to Heaven?" Mozenrath asked.  
  
"Oh you will eventually, I mean, everyone goes eventually." Michael chuckled. "But to be quite honest my friend. You're a sleezeball." At Mozenrath shocked and aghast look he added. "You are a complete and total waste of "Allah's" great gift of life. If I had been God when you were born I'd have shoved you back into the womb."  
  
"Why you over feathered duster. How dare you.!" Mozenrath suddenly found himself face to face with the flaming sword.  
  
"Now don't go getting riled up." Michael suggested. "I said you'll get to Heaven eventually, and the word of an angel can always be trusted." He held out his hand, suddenly clear of the sword and took Mozenrath's.  
  
A sudden warmth filled the sorcerers body, searing through every ectoplastic vein. Mozenrath fell to the his knees and bit his lips as his soul became overflowing with an uncompromising, unconditional.Love.  
  
Michael let go of his hand, satisfied with the sorcerers response. "What.oh God what was that.?"  
  
Michael leaned down, his dark blue eyes staring directly into Mozenrath's. "If you were evil, completely without hope of redemption, you would not have been able to feel that Mozenrath."  
  
"What was it!?" Mozenrath demanded.  
  
"God.Allah, Yahweh.he has thousands upon thousands of names. What you just felt, was a little spark of the love he has for every creation on Earth." Michael held Mozenrath's cheeks. "And for you."  
  
"I..I don't understand."  
  
"If anybody did I'd be surprised." Michael admitted. "The point is Mozenrath, your being given the very rare opportunity to make good."  
  
"Make good on what?" Mozenrath asked, his head still spinning with that feeling of elation.  
  
"Everything. See, you saved that boys life, so that clears you of the Damnation quota required to enter Hell." Michael explained as though Mozenrath had the slightest idea of what he was talking about. "But."  
  
"But."  
  
"But we're not quite sure we're ready to take on a person with your particular.past." Michael said. "You see if word gets out that the infamous Mozenrath made it into Paradise, people will start thinking they can get away with anything and still pass though them pearly gates."  
  
"So.what? Am I stuck in Purgatory?" Mozenrath asked. True enough, that was better than Hell, but he wasn't keen on an eternity in oblivion. It would be like the ultimate beauracracy.  
  
"Nope. Instead, we've got a job for you. You are, in essence, to transubstantiate into a Guardian Angel. An official title held in high regard by nearly every Angelical Choir." Michael said as though it was a great honor.  
  
"So I'm going to be flying around with wings and a really revealing tunic. Though I must say the flaming swords got a nice panache." Mozenrath joked.  
  
"Yeah, you wish." The arch-angel scoffed. "We don't give just everybody a pair of wings and say "Thou Shalt Do Good."  
  
"Then get to the point! You pulled me out of Lucifer's hands to tell me I'm to do penance for my life and then don't explain to me exactly what the damnation your talking about." Mozenrath clenched his fists to his side and tried not to lose his temper.  
  
"Your going back to Earth ya nitwit! You have to perform good deeds in order to fill the Paradise Quota completely. By then we shall be able to say we weren't too lenient." Michael sighed in frustration. "What is it with humans always needing it explained in fine detail! In the old days all that needed done was Metatron going "Thou Shalt." and people damn well listened! Didn't need all these freaking explanations and always asking why!"  
  
"Well did you every think that's why the worlds in the state it is." Mozenrath said acidic-ally.  
  
"Do you think you could do any better?" Michael yelled.  
  
"Well maybe I could!" Mozenrath "It's not like you can put in job applications for the positions!"  
  
"Look here you little."Before the arch-angel could finish, the sky around them began to quake and rumble. The sun above turned dark black and Michael looked up at the sky as though it was very rude to have been interrupted. "Very well. Mozenrath. It's time for you to get back to Earth."  
  
Mozenrath was still looking around at what had happened when he answered. "Very well. Don't suppose I have any options."  
  
"Options right. Umm one more thing."  
  
"Why do I not want to know."  
  
"Since we can't very well have the ex-most dangerous sorcerer in the world running around unsupervised, we've arranged for a little place for you to call home." Michael. "You'll be rooming with an old friend of yours named Aladdin."  
  
Surprisingly enough, Mozenrath only sighed. "Yes I guess that would be just the thing now wouldn't it."  
  
"That.and there's a slight problem." Michael waited for Mozenrath to look him in the eyes. "Well we were going to put you back in your old body.but it's already been to the morgue and autopsied on. In other words, you wouldn't want to go back looking worse than one of your mamlucks. So we've arranged for a new body, something agile and compact, for you to go back in."  
  
"There's something your still not telling me isn't there." Mozenrath groaned and realized he had a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.  
  
"Well.your going back as a cat." Michael said plainly.  
  
"What?" Mozenrath screamed as he suddenly dropped from his position in the sky.  
  
"Remember, you can land on your feet now!" Michael called out and laughed as he ascended in to the sky. 


	3. Felis Domesticus

Felis Domesticus  
  
By: Lynn Osburn  
  
(DISCLAMER: Yeah!! Mozie is going to be a kitty cat!! Ohhhh it's going to be so adorable.)  
  
Mozenrath landed on all fours, tail twitching in the air, nose sniffing at new scents he had been unable to smell as a human, and his eyes catching the slightest movement in the dirt. He poked about gingerly in the sand with his new pink nose as he caught sight of a mirror.  
  
He saw his reflection, a sleek, muscular, black tomcat with bright greenish yellow eyes. ~Well atleast I'm a proper cat. Allah help me I thought I'd end up a disgustingly cute kitten.~ Mozenrath thought of this as some small consolation.  
  
"Oh kitty!" Mozenrath jumped at the voice and turned to see two young women headed towards him.  
  
~Oh shi..~ He gasped as one of them scooped him up and squeezed him, hard.  
  
"Oh my isn't he just the handsomest kitty cat I've ever seen. Who's a pretty kitty?" The girl asked while squeezing his cheeks uncomfortably. "Who's the prettiest kitty ever?"  
  
Mozenrath meowed pathetically. ~Let me go.please let go.~ He whined and pushed away, meowing out again.  
  
"Maria why don't we take him home! We could just cuddle him all night!"  
  
~No no no no no no no!~ Mozenrath whined and batted his claws against the lady holding him.  
  
"Ow! He scratched me!"  
  
Mozenrath suddenly looked at his out-stretched paw with the suddenly realization that there were claws attached. ~Yes.~ With a sudden angry hiss Mozenrath slashed out across the woman's cheek.  
  
She screamed and dropped him. "Dirty little fleabag!" she yelled and grabbed a rotten piece of fruit from a stand, launching it at Mozenrath.  
  
~Hey what happened to pretty little kitty?~ Mozenrath thought and skidded around the corner down an ally-way. ~Great now what do I do?"  
  
"You go to the palace!"  
  
Mozenrath meowed as he collided with a pair of bare feet. ~What the Hell?~ He looked up and groaned loudly. ~Oh no not you.~  
  
Aladdin chuckled bent down. "Yes me. I was informed by an old friend of mine that you would be.spending some time at the palace. Turning over a new leaf as I hear." Obviously, the hero was amused by Mozenrath's predicament.  
  
"And your to be my ward. How nice." Mozenrath jumped back in shock as he realized he was speaking with his mouth. "I can speak."  
  
"Yeah. I can hear you, so can anyone I'm associated with. From Jasmine to Iago. But if you want to talk to anyone else, I'll have to be with you. Otherwise they'll just hear a bunch of meowing and hissing." Aladdin added. "Just a little precaution to make sure you don't go contacting any old associates for help."  
  
"Well they just thought of everything didn't they." Mozenrath said sarcastically as he saw Aladdin's monkey hop down. "What are you looking at?" he snarled.  
  
Abu snickered. "Aww petti ketti!" The monkey garbled out and patted Mozenrath's head. Does da ketti wanna ketti teat!"  
  
Mozenrath snarled and slashed out at Abu, trying anything to get the monkeys tail in his claws. "You little ape! Get back here so I can shred the fez of yours!" he yelled as Abu climbed Aladdin's shoulders.  
  
Aladdin patted his little friend until he calmed down. "Take it easy Mozenrath. Unless you'd rather stay at my hovel until this ordeal is over. I can promise you this isn't what I had planned to do for the next few years either." The ex-street rat began to walk away, turning around for Mozenrath to follow.  
  
"I'm coming. Walking on four legs isn't as easy as it looks." Mozenrath shook out his paws and jogged along beside Aladdin.  
  
"So, what did you do to get this racket?" Aladdin asked in as non-chalet a voice as he could.  
  
"Saved a child." Mozenrath said and scoffed at the hero's surprised look. "I'm not incapable of heroics Aladdin. I just chose not to be like you. The eternal protagonist."  
  
"And look where it got you. Stuck with fleas in your fur and pooping in a litter box until Allah knows when." Aladdin joked.  
  
"Funny, I thought that was what 'you' did." Mozenrath jibbed.  
  
Aladdin gritted his teeth and scratched Abu behind the ears. "Lets just try to get through this with as little confrontation as possible alright Mozenrath."  
  
"Fine with me." Mozenrath said and was quiet for the rest of the walk to the palace.  
  
The first person to greet them was the Sultan of Agrabah himself. The short, pudgy man had a look of utmost serious about him. "I still dislike this idea Aladdin. It is only out of your love for my daughter and your reputation as the savior of my city that I allow this." The Sultan looked down at the black cat. ".feline in my palace."  
  
Aladdin gave a low bow. "I assure you Sultan, I'm not the only one keeping my eye on Mozenrath."  
  
"We shall see." The Sultan gave the black cat that had once been one of Agrabah's greatest enemy's a dark look and continued down the hall.  
  
"Aladdin." The princess Jasmine turned the corner and ran into her loves arms, kissing him warmly as they hugged each other close.  
  
"Oh give me a break. Don't you two have a room to do this in?" Mozenrath scoffed and watched the princess glare at him.  
  
"I see you found him." Jasmine swooped down faster than Mozenrath could react and grabbed the black cat by the scruff of his neck. "Know this Mozenrath, you are here strictly at the request of one of our dearest friends. One slip up, just one and I swear I'll throw you in the dog pound and set all the Dobermans free."  
  
Mozenrath curved his back and nipped Jasmine's arm. "Point taken Princess. I don't want to end up in Lucifer's clutches. I have every intention of fulfilling this little quest of theirs." Mozenrath licked his fur and washed his paw. "In the mean time, I guess I'm stuck here."  
  
"Well if it brings you any comfort, there's plenty of opportunity for good deeds in Agrabah." Jasmine sat down in a chair as Aladdin leaned against a wall. "Not a week goes by we don't have some monster or elemental or evil sorcerer trying to conquer or destroy us."  
  
"Hold on now just one damn minuet!" Mozenrath stopped grooming himself. "I'm a cat now incase you haven't noticed. I can't exactly fire my gauntlet and pop goes the demon anymore."  
  
"That reminds me!" Aladdin snapped his fingers an removed a collar from his fez.  
  
"Oh no! You are NOT putting me in a collar. I may be temporarily living here Aladdin, but no one will ever say they OWNED Mozenrath." He hissed and made a low growl at the collar.  
  
"I wouldn't own you if you were a pure gold statue with emeralds for eyes." Aladdin grabbed Mozenrath, fighting around his bites and claw slashes. "Will you cut it out! This is your gauntlet!"  
  
"My what." Mozenrath stopped in shock just long enough for Aladdin to snap the thing onto him. Mozenrath looked down and noticed the swirling bluish black gem imbedded in the collar.  
  
"Well not all of your gauntlet. Our friend removed about half of the powers from it. Things like the ability to mamluck people and turn them against us. But you can still blast things and make minor changes. I think he said you can still teleport places and disappear. Also, he made a small improvement."  
  
"Such as?" Mozenrath said, pawing the gem in comfort.  
  
"None of your body will turn to bone." Aladdin said and absentmindedly began to stroke Abu. "You'll remain and completely healthy cat until you finish your job."  
  
"What about dieing.again. Will I be killed if say.I get chomped on by an Al- Muddie." He asked.  
  
"I don't think so. I mean, that would negate the purpose of having you come back wouldn't it." Jasmine sipped a cup of pomegranate juice and relaxed.  
  
Mozenrath sighed and shook himself off. "I guess that takes care of any immediate concerns." He hopped down off the couch and began to head out the door. "I think I'll go explore a bit. Get used to these surroundings. I didn't have much time to see this place properly when I was busy trying to destroy it."  
  
"Umm, Mozenrath.just a few extra rules." Jasmine added in. "Don't go into Jafar's lab. Just because we have agreed to take you in doesn't mean we trust you entirely."  
  
Mozenrath started to argue, but thought better of it. If Aladdin spoke the truth about the diminished powers of his, nothing in the old wizards lab would have been useful to him anyhow. "Very well, anything else you'd like to brief me on, like if I'm allowed to lick myself in public."  
  
"I would think your so used to doing it in private an audience would bother you." Aladdin joked and Abu fell off his shoulder laughing.  
  
~One day, when you least expect it, I will sneak into your bedroom and pee on your best vest.~ Mozenrath thought to himself and began to wander the halls of the palace. 


	4. The First Of Many

The First Of Many  
  
By: Lynn Osburn  
  
(DISCLAMER: Okay, this episode just came up in my mind. It's cute okay. I just have to tell you this is going to be cute.)  
  
Mozenrath walked down the alabaster pillars of the palace, thinking silently to himself. Unbeknownst to anyone else, the sorcerer was completely and totally freaked out by the events of the last two days. Not only had he died, spoken to a messenger of Allah/God, been reincarnated, and become endeared to his worst enemy. BUT.he still had no idea how exactly to go about acquiring his goal.  
  
~I mean, I doubt they had it planned for me to just wander about for the next few hundred years finding little old ladies to help across the street.~ He chuckled, the thought of a black cat helping an old gray haired lady across a busy road was rather funny. ~It has to be something noticeable. Something that will change the way things are I'll bet. You don't get chances like this everyday. This must be some sort of special case." Mozenrath considered as the door to the kitchen opened and he smelled cooking salmon.  
  
The kitchen chef spotted him. "Mangy feline!" He hollered and picked up a washing basin. "Stupid cats! Always trying to steal from the kitchen!" He launchedthe cold water at Mozenrath.  
  
Mozenrath screeched and let out a low, angry growl. ~I wasn't even after your damn fish!~ He yelled in his mind. But of course the ignorant chef couldn't hear him and only slammed the doors in his little pink nose. ~Ass!~ Mozenrath shook his fur out and started licking himself vigorously. ~Eww!~ he noted that the taste of a cat's fur wasn't exactly savory. But still, there was only one way to get the smell off. ~That whole forty virgins thing had better be worth this.~ Mozenrath licked over his legs and down his chest.  
  
His ears perked up at a sudden noise from the veranda. A soft, muffled sound like someone in distress. Curious, he sniffed the air gingerly and followed the sound to a small girl, no older than the boy he had saved, sitting on the edge of the palace walls, crying her tiny heart out.  
  
~Children.~ He grimaced with his cat lips and started to turn away.  
  
"Mommy.oh mommy why did you leave me alone?" The little girl sobbed.  
  
Mozenrath turned back and saw the child bury her pretty little face in her dirty skirts and begin to bawl again. He sniffed the air, detecting something strangely familiar about the scent. Then he noticed it. The body of a young woman, barely older than seventeen, laying on the ground a few feet away. Out of his own human nature, he walked closer.  
  
To his horror he saw her skin covered in bruises. Many of them hand or fist shaped. Her clothing was ripped in obvious places and her eyes were creepily open, reflecting the terror and fear that must come before a traumatic death. ~She was beaten.probably by her husband.~ He mused and felt his gut wrench slightly. Shaking it off himself, he moved towards the ally-way, intending to leave this sorry scene behind.  
  
"Oh.hi kitty. Are you lonely to?"  
  
~Oh no.~ Mozenrath felt two very soft, very careful arm pick him up. The child's small, chubby fingers went to his chin and began to scratch in just the right spot. To Mozenrath surprise he felt a low rumbling in his stomach and he began to purr.  
  
"My mommy left me all alone." The little girl whispered as she stroked Mozenrath's soft fur. "I told her no to make daddy angry, but she just wouldn't listen. She yelled at him to make him stop hurting me, and he got so angry at her. Then he started hitting.and.and he just wouldn't stop." The little girl hugged Mozenrath close and began crying again into his fur.  
  
Mozenrath meowed, the only sound he was capable of making without Aladdin around, and pushed his nose up against her fingers. When she didn't respond he sighed inwardly. ~All right all right. Stop your crying.~ He muttered knowing full well she couldn't hear him, and poked at her cheek with his little pink tongue, purring harder till her cries were silenced.  
  
"You're a funny little kitty cat aren't you." She whispered and hugged him close, but not tight. Mozenrath was embarrassed to find himself purring even harder as she scratched his back and rubbed between his ears. "Thank you kitty." She whispered and kissed Mozenrath's cheek.  
  
"Mardina!" Came an angry, masculine voice from the local tavern. The door opened up and a man emerged, staggering and basically being shoved out the door by the owner.  
  
"An don cum bac till ya gota mon'ey." The Tavern owner yelled.  
  
"Yer lucks any body pays a wooden shackle for this swill!" The angry man yelled out. He turned, reeking of alcohol and Allah knows what else and spotted the little girl. "Mardina! Where the 'ell have you been?" He snarled and lunged for her arm. "An what are ya doing with that mangy cat?"  
  
~Mangy cat? I've seen leaches that look better then you!~ Mozenrath meowed angrily and hissed as the man drew closer.  
  
"Daddy's been drinking again. He's always mean when he drinks." Mardina whispered to Mozenrath.  
  
"Talkin, to a damn cat huh! Hah!" He wrenched the girl up by her arm and began to pull her down the street. "Since yer worthless mother isn't around to take ya carein too anymore, I betcha I can sell ya to the slave market for a pretty penny." He jerked her down the street.  
  
"Please don't! Daddy please don't sell me! Daddy!" She screamed and looked down at Mozenrath with the most stunning brown-hazel eyes Mozenrath had ever seen.  
  
That was when Mozenrath acted.  
  
"Yeeeowch!" The drunken father yelled as Mozenrath sank his tiny teeth and claws into the mans ankle. "You flea bitten fur balled." He sputtered off a paragraph of curses to make a sailor blush, but the pain was enough to make him drop his hold on the child.  
  
~Run! Run you stupid brat!~ Mozenrath prompted in his mind, hoping the kid would take the point. Unfortunately, the girl was so shocked she only stared up in awe as the small, insignificant black cat attacked her hulk of a father.  
  
~You stupid little reow!~ Mozenrath spat and hissed viciously when he was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and thrown into a pile of garbage and who- knows-what-else.  
  
"You little.." The man threw his tankard at Mozenrath and grabbed Mardina again. "Come on brat!" he yelled and they disappeared down an ally before Mozenrath could act again.  
  
~Damn! Damn damn damn damn!~ Mozenrath cased down the way they had gone, but the girl and her father had already disappeared into the crowd. 


	5. The Rescue Part One

Moving Fast Enough  
  
(DISCLAMER: Tell me if you think I'm going too dramatic too soon. The whole point of this story is to keep things sort of upbeat and like a series of sorts. Tell me what ya think people)  
  
"So he dragged her off?" Aladdin asked a still soggy and reeking of garbage Mozenrath.  
  
"Yes. I couldn't see them through the crowd. The girls mother's body should still be there, though I'm not sure if that will be any help." Mozenrath sniffed his paw and shook himself angrily. "The bastard threw me into a trash heap!" he snarled and almost wished the chef would throw another tub of water on him.  
  
"There's a little girl in jeopardy and your worried about your pride!" Aladdin said in astonishment.  
  
"Hey! I've done my part! What do you want from me I'm a cat, and my magic's acting oddly now that I'm not in the same body!" He tried to shot a bolt from his collar and only got the jewel to glow a bit. "See! It doesn't recognize me in this form."  
  
"There's nothing I can do about that. Talk to Genie when he gets back from his visit with Eden. Maybe he can help." Aladdin suggested. He wasn't really concerned with Mozenrath's problems at the moment. In fact, he was of the opinion that the less power the sorcerer had, the better.  
  
"That bubble headed moron. I doubt it." He saw Aladdin's mouth open to defend his friend. "Besides, magic's don't mix well."  
  
"What about the girl? I spent most of my life on the streets but I was never caught by any of the slave traders." Aladdin explained.  
  
"And I never dealt with caravans of any sort, beyond magical ones stupid enough to come through my land." Mozenrath started to lick himself and remembered what he'd been thrown into. "What about that parrot of yours.he's done a few shady dealings here and there."  
  
"That's like saying you've made a few mamluck here and there." Aladdin scoffed but considered the sorcerers idea. "Still, he may have heard a few things."  
  
"Well the why don't you ask him then?" Mozenrath said irritably.  
  
Aladdin sighed and rubbed his head. "Fine. Sheesh first heroic thing you've done and you get all commanding over it." He muttered and went to find the parrot.  
  
~Heroic?~ Mozenrath's pink nose went up at the word. He was no hero. He was just doing this to make sure he didn't end up roasting over a turn style with demons poking at his flesh. It had nothing to do with heroics.  
  
"So the big bad sorcerer has gone animal. I'd call the vet and see when he can do neutering Al. There is the pretty little white kitty who hangs around the palace gardens!"  
  
Mozenrath growled at the scarlet parrot flying over to rest on the arm of the couch. "Watch it bird or you just might wake up to find your wings clipped." He snarled and slashed out at the bird.  
  
"Awk!' Iago jumped out of Mozenrath's reach and onto Aladdin's shoulder  
  
"Mozenrath." Aladdin said scolding. "And you." he turned to the macaw just as Iago was pulling his tongue back into his beak. "We don't have a lot of time here. That little girl could be getting sold as a slave.or worse."  
  
Iago blushed under his feathers and coughed ashamed. "Well a yeah. See most traders don't do kids. Too high profile see. But since Agrabah only began cracking down on the slave trade in the past couple of years, most of the big guys still hang around, hiding their slave market behind a caravan trading company."  
  
"What about the child dealers?" Mozenrath asked, still trying to ignore the smell of garbage.  
  
"They don't deal inside Agrabah's walls. From what I hear, there's a nice little Oasis about twenty miles east of here where they meet up with their prime merchandise. They allow some of their best customers to have first pick before they take the kids on to bigger cities." Iago shuddered. "Jafar went there once or twice in the old days. Looking for guinea pigs. Not a pretty place Al. They keep those kids more like animals than children."  
  
Mozenrath saw the determined, heroic look on Aladdin's face. He was so used to being the cause of such a look it was odd to see it reserved for a lower scum. "We have to get there Iago."  
  
"What are you kidding me?" Mozenrath scoffed. "Look at you! For someone now entitled to Palace Attire you still look like a street rat." Mozenrath hopped off the couch and faced Aladdin. "Poofy, unkempt hair, calloused fingers, un manicured nails. And even though it's of a better material, you still wear the same vest trousers combo of the streets."  
  
Aladdin gritted his teeth and asked for patience. "Oh? Well then what do you suggest? They'll recognize any of the white and gold outfits I have for official use.  
  
Aladdin scratched his head and sighed, frustrated.  
  
"Well.they won't recognize my outfit." Mozenrath suggested.  
  
"Oh no! No! I am not wearing that depressing black outfit you always trounce around in." Aladdin protested.  
  
"There's no time to argue! The outfit won't be recognized, and it's rich, so they'll mistake you for some sort of foreign royal or noble." Mozenrath argued. "All it would take is a quick trip to the Citadel. I even have a store of treasure there we can use to buy her with if necessary."  
  
That statement left Aladdin's protests dead in the water. "Your going to pay to save someone.out of your own proverbial pocket.?"  
  
Mozenrath balked, his ears going flat against his head. "I.I don't really have much of a choice do I? I mean.I was sent back to earn my way and I'm doing it. So don't damn well complain!" he snapped and turned his tail up, trying to strut away with some dignity as Aladdin chuckled loudly.  
  
"This is the most uncomfortable outfit I have ever been in." Aladdin muttered tried to adjust the high collar on the sorcerers outfit.  
  
"Will you stop fiddling with the thing. You look so damn stiff their going to think you just put this stuff on today!" Mozenrath argued.  
  
"I did!" Aladdin snapped as the entered the Slave Traders camp ground. Around them, Aladdin could see scores of men and women in cages, many of them with chains around their necks and feet. All of them dirty and desperately needing a meal. It tore his noble heart to see them suffering. If he had thought he could get away with it, he'd have torn open the cages right that second and escaped with them all.  
  
"Don't even think about it hero." Mozenrath nipped Aladdin's ear to get his attention. "I know what your thinking and we just don't have the time or the money."  
  
"Funny. Your treasure room seemed plenty big enough to me." Aladdin bit back but forced himself to look ford. What met him was an even worse sight.  
  
Children.  
  
Fifty or sixty children, all huddled together on the auction block, dressed in rags and looking very malnourished. Many of them were chained too tightly and bleeding at the ankles and wrists. Aladdin heard the cat under his the turban draw in a deep breath of shock, and quickly suppress it.  
  
"Children." Aladdin whispered. "How could they do that to children." He felt his heart wrenching inside.  
  
"Remember Aladdin, most people in the world can't afford to have the moral fortitude you do. Look at the auctioneer." Mozenrath pointed with a paw to a scruffy looking man with a long beard. "I'll bet you a thousand denari he had a family of his own. This is just a trade to him, just like selling silks or fruit. You consider him a bad evil man automatically because of his profession. But, when it all comes down to it, he is just a man."  
  
Aladdin was surprised to hear such a statement from the sorcerer. "I didn't know you were a philosopher Mozenrath." He sarcastically remarked.  
  
Mozenrath once again promised himself to pee on Aladdin's fez once this was over with. He looked down at the hero and saw the look on his face. He was watching the children , and the adults too. Is eyes were entirely focused on their state, his mouth had a small, pitying frown on it, and his hands twisted the end of the black cape angrily. Mozenrath sighed. "We're not leaving with just one slave are we?" he asked.  
  
Aladdin walked faster towards to auction block.  
  
"Didn't think so." Mozenrath muttered.  
  
The auctioneer was selling off children right and let. Most of them, as soon as they were bought, were whisked off in camels and traveling tents of towards their fates.  
  
"Mozenrath." Aladdin tapped the turban. "Go to the back and see if you can spot any keys for the chains."  
  
"What am I the monkey?' Mozenrath snarled but dropped stealthily to the ground and disappeared behind the block. He could see that all of the children were indeed connected by a large black chain, each one with neck, wrist, and ankle locks. He crept up on stage and sniffed at the complicated mechanisms and watched what the seller was doing. Every time a child was bought, he took a specific set of keys from his belt and undid a sort of locking system connecting each child to one another.  
  
~So not only do I have to get the children disconnected from one another, I have to free them enough to run.! Mozenrath meowed out loud once and dodged behind a barrel when the auctioneer turned to look. ~We're luck their about to close for the day, I don't think we can pull this of in broad day light.~ Mozenrath double check the key clasp on the auctioneers belt and mentally memorized it with the group of children being sold.  
  
Aladdin wasn't at all surprised to see Mozenrath trod up to him, looking rather self satisfied. "Any luck?" he asked out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Some. The children all have a connected main chain which won't be a problem. But then it branches off into neck, wrist, and ankle cuffs. I couldn't figure out which key belongs to which kid, so I don't suppose you brought your pick set.." Mozenrath saw a set of oddly bent metals and wires in Aladdin's hands. "I see."  
  
Aladdin grinned. "Old habits are hard to break."  
  
They hung around the outskirts of the camp until nightfall. Mozenrath noticed that some o the more important buyers were pitching lavish tents and staying for the nights. With just a bit of focus, he managed to produce a richly (and gaudily) colored tent with a few pillows to make it look noble enough. "Get some sleep." He instructed Aladdin. "The best buyers will be making unofficial deals for a few more hours."  
  
Aladdin shook his head and sat back against the pillows. There was silence in the tent for a while, uncomfortable silence between two long enemies.  
  
Aladdin was the one to break it. "So you really saved a kids life huh?"  
  
Mozenrath nodded his furry little head. "Yes. Some stupid prince on a horse in Getzistan was tearing through the roads like a bat out of Hell and almost ran him over." He explained shortly.  
  
"Really?" Aladdin said skeptically.  
  
"What you think I'm here in this body because I like the smell of catnip?" Mozenrath snapped and lounged against a coushin.  
  
"Like your old body was that great." Aladdin jibbed and rearranged the clothing he was wearing for the fifteenth thousandth time. "You were skinny as a rail and twice as tall. This clothing is the worst."  
  
"It's not my fault your fat and short." Mozenrath licked his fur and stretched out. "It just so happens that my muscle was in a much more intelligent place."  
  
"What? Your back end?" Aladdin laughed.  
  
If a cat could smile.."No. My front." Mozenrath licked his leg as Aladdin adjusted the cloth between his legs. The hero stopped dead in his movements, abruptly reminded of what sort of skin this clothing had been next too.  
  
The sky darkened into dusk, and in a few hours the sun had set, leaving the stars to light the people bellow. Aladdin felt a sharp bit on his ear and woke up. "Ow!" He opened his eyes to see Mozenrath staring at him yellow green eyes.  
  
"Come on, most of them are asleep now." He began to walk out of the tent. "Damn it what are you waiting for." He whispered as Aladdin stood up and removed the turban and cape.  
  
"It's hard enough to walk in this crap, let alone run in it." Aladdin discarded clothing until he was down to the midnight blue trousers and shirt. The only extra pieces of clothes were the red belt and heeled boot. "Better." The ex street rat said and shoved his lock picks into the belt.  
  
"Yes yes you look very dashing. Now come on." Mozenrath ran from the tent behind the wooden stand and didn't wait for Aladdin to follow. The hero kept up surprisingly well considering he was following a black cat in the middle of the night. They carefully avoided any sort of light, even just a torch, as Mozenrath lead the way. 


End file.
